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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stem — to come from
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. capital — a city
  8. staff — employees
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chip — for betting
  12. kid — child
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. chip — to eat
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. pass — a permit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. kid — to tease

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com